The manufacture of plastic articles by blow molding results in the formation of hollow plastic articles. Two such articles, such as a base and a lid, may be formed with hinges and joined together to form a case, such as a camera case, briefcase, and cases for sporting activities, such as an archery case or a fishing tackle box.
In some applications one such hollow plastic article will have one entire face removed or cut out to form an open container, as for instance, in the camera case where a foam insert may be mounted in a base so that camera accessories can be fitted into and secured by the foam. In other instances, the amount of cut out material from one such article will be small or non-existent, for instance where a base is molded into trays and bins to hold accessories.
A second hollow plastic article may be formed as a lid, and joined with one of the above articles to form an entire case. It is often desirable to provide an enclosure or compartment for storing manuals and larger items in this lid. The compartment is formed by cutting an opening from the hollow lid to give access to the hollow interior. A door, sized to cover the opening, is mounted in the opening to allow closing of the compartment.
Typically this door has been formed separately from the either the base or the lid because there is an insufficient amount of material cut from the articles to be effective to cover the opening. For example, the material derived from cutting an opening into the lid compartment would fall through the opening instead of acting as a closure. In addition, when the base is molded into trays and bins, there will be no cut-out material useful as a compartment door.
It is desirable therefore to provide a method of manufacture which allows for the formation of an or other formed parts as part of the manufacturing process which does not require the formation of a door using a separate mold.